Workbook 15 Transfers

NHS Training for 

Physiotherapy Support Workers 

Workbook 15 

Transfers

Contents 

Workbook 15 Transfers 1 

15.1 Aim 3 

15.2 Learning outcomes 3 

15.3 Lying–sitting transfer 4 

15.4 Teaching a patient to move up and down the bed 7 

15.5 Wheelchairs 8 

15.6 Teaching patients to transfer safely in and out of a bed or chair 9 

15.7 Teaching a patient to manoeuvre a wheelchair 11 

15.8 Transfers workbook completion 12 

15.9 Transfers reflection 13 

© NHS Education for Scotland 2012. You can copy or reproduce the information in this 

document for use within NHSScotland and for non-commercial educational purposes. 

Use of this document for commercial purposes is permitted only with the written 

permission of NES.

NHS Training for Physiotherapy Support Workers 

Workbook 15 | Transfers 

Workbook 15 

Transfers 

15.1 Aim 

The aim of this workbook is to provide the Healthcare Support Worker (HCSW) 

with the knowledge and skills required to help patients transfer. 

15.2 Learning outcomes 

By the end of this workbook you will be able to: 

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■■ 

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Describe, demonstrate and teach the normal sequencing of movement to assist or 

facilitate bed mobility with patients. 

Assist in teaching patients to transfer safely in and out of a wheelchair using 

appropriate aids and from different surfaces and be able to dismantle and 

reconstruct a wheelchair for transportation. 

Manoeuvre a chair and carry out prescribed practice of manoeuvres with a patient. 

Workbook 15 Page 3



15.3 Lying–sitting transfer 

As therapists, one of the most important parts of our role is to promote physical 

independence. 

As a support worker, you may be involved in practicing everyday tasks with a patient to 

enable them to be independent again. 

A simple but important task is the ability to move around the bed and get in and out. 

There are aids to assist with this if required, but our concern here is to assist a patient to get 

up from lying by re-educating a normal sequence of movement. 

You would only do these activities with a patient who has been assessed as capable by 

the therapist. You must not attempt this with a patient who cannot participate. 

Activity 

With your supervising therapist, have a look at how you would sit up to sit from lying on 

your back. Watch a couple of colleagues do the movement. 

Describe what they do 

You may notice that the person turns their head to the side, then rolls over bringing the rest 

of their body with them, whilst pushing up onto the elbow, sitting up and swinging the legs 

over the side of the bed. 

There will be variations – some will do it differently, but the components above 

are common. 




Activity 

Watch your supervising therapist teach a patient how to get out of bed to sit on the side 

in this way. 

Once you are ready, your supervisor will watch and correct as you teach a patient to get 

up from lying in this way. 

Describe the instructions you gave to the patient 

You may tell them to: 

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turn their head and reach over the side of the bed to turn onto their side 

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now to lift their head up and push onto their elbow 

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now swing their legs over the side and come up to sit 

The patient may get stuck at any one of these stages; therefore you should know where to 

place your hands to assist. 

You may also need someone on the bed behind the patient when they get to sitting, to 

ensure that the patient does not fall backwards. 

You must ensure that: 

your own position is safe 

that you are working within your base of support 

your spine is in a line 

the bed is at the right height to ensure that you are not flexing too much 

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You may wish to assist the patient by placing your hands at the shoulder girdle and pelvis to 

assist them to roll over. 




Activity 

Practice this with a model, try assisting them to roll over. 

You will notice that by placing your hands on their pelvis and shoulder, you can bring 

them on to their side more easily. 

You may need to assist to bring the legs over the side also. 

From your manual handling training, what handling aids might you use to assist a 

patient to come out of bed independently? 

■■ 

A fabric turntable or a slide sheet under the patient’s hips may assist them to sit round 

over the side. 

■■ 

A slide sheet under the legs may assist the patient to bring them over the side of the bed. 

Evidence 

Provide an example of having practiced lying to sitting or sitting to lying with a patient in 

the gym or on the ward. 

Describe what you told the patient to do and what aids you used and why 

What went well, what went not so well, what would you do differently next time? 




15.4 Teaching a patient to move up and down the bed 

One difficult movement for patients can be moving up the bed in a seated position. You 

may be required to assist the patient to do this prior to carrying out some therapy. 

Again this can be done with one or two members of staff depending on the outcome of your 

risk assessment. Remember to speak to the patient and the nurse caring for the patient, and 

to observe the patient carefully before making a decision about how to move the patient. 

It is important for the rehabilitation of the patient to encourage him or her to be as 

independent as possible. 

If the patient can come to a sitting position independently, encourage him to do so. If not, 

you may have to use your body weight or a towel behind the patient’s back, to assist the 

patient to come to sitting. 

To move the seated patient up or down the bed, it may be necessary to: 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

instruct the patient in use of handling blocks 

assist with the patient placing his hands on the bed either side of his body, his knees bent 

and feet flat on the bed, hold the patient’s feet to provide him with purchase as he moves 

himself up the bed by straightening his knees 

use a slide sheet under the patient’s buttocks to assist the manoeuvre with the assistance 

of two staff. 

Evidence 

With your supervising therapist, conduct a risk assessment and assist a suitable 

patient to move up or down the bed. 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

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Assess the risk in moving individual patients in bed. 

Assist the patient to sitting with one. 

Assist the patient to sitting with two. 

Assist the patient to move up or down the bed independently. 

Assist the patient to move up or down the bed with one. 

Assist the patient to move up or down the bed with two. 

■■ 

Use appropriate handling aids safely. 




15.5 Wheelchairs 

Backrest; folds down backwards and collapses inwards. 

Armrest; these are removed by 

releasing the catch. They can then be 

pulled up and out. 

Seat; is pulled upwards 

which folds the chair inwards 

for transportation. 

Foot-plates; these can fold 

upwards. 

Foot-plates; Release of this 

mechanism enables the 

foot-plates to swing outwards. 

Evidence 

Demonstrate to your supervising therapist that you can dismantle the chair for 

transportation. 




15.6 Teaching patients to transfer safely in and out of a bed or chair 

using appropriate aids 

Part of your job may be to help the patient to practice transferring from the bed to the chair 

or wheelchair, so that they can become strong enough to do it by themselves. 

Activity 

Assuming that the patient can get themselves up to sitting over the side of the bed, 

before starting to practice the transfers, what safety factors should you think about? 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

■■ 

Correct positioning of chair For a lateral transfer, bed to chair, the chair should be 

positioned as close to the bed as possible. 

Application of brakes You must ensure that any brakes are applied prior to moving the 

patient to or from any chair. 

Removal of sides of chair The patient may need to practice removing the side of the 

chair so he can do this himself. You should be familiar with the release mechanism, and 

know how to remove the side of the chair. 

Repositioning of footplate Similarly, any footplates should be moved out of the way to 

enable the patient to come into or out of the chair. Make sure you know how to do this. 

Application of sliding aid/transfer board You may require to assist the patient to use a 

sliding aid. The aid may be used to bridge the gap between the chair and bed. 

A transfer board or slide sheet may be required However the patient should as much as 

possible use his arms and legs to raise his buttocks to transfer to prevent shearing of the skin. 

Application and removal of safety belt The patient should use a safety belt when 

moving around in the wheelchair. Do not forget to remove before the transfer and 

reapply afterwards. 

Activity 

With your supervising therapist, practice performing chair to bed, and chair to chair 

transfers yourself. 

Also practise teaching a model the steps to go through to transfer from bed to chair or 

chair to chair. 




Evidence 

When you are ready, your supervising therapist will supervise you teaching a patient to 

transfer. 

Depending on where you work this may be a neurological patient or an amputee. 

Describe the transfers practiced on your unit. 

What difficulties do the patients have? 

What precautions must you take? 

Remember 

You must inform your supervising therapist if there is a change in the condition of the 

patient that requires reassessment. 




15.7 Teaching a patient to manoeuvre a wheelchair 

Patients need to practise using and manoeuvring with the wheelchair. 

You may be given the task of supervising their practice. 

Activity 

Find a wheelchair to practise with. 

Have a go at: 

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■■ 

■■ 

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moving the chair backwards and forwards 

going through doorways 

getting close to a bed as if you were about to transfer onto it 

going through an obstacle course 

Once you feel confident doing this, your supervising therapist will supervise you 

helping to teach a patient to perform these manoeuvres. 

Acknowledgements 

NHS Tayside 




15.8 Transfers workbook completion 

Your supervising physiotherapist will sign your portfolio to indicate that you have 

completed this workbook successfully. 

Objective Physiotherapist’s signature Date 

Describe, demonstrate and 

teach the normal sequencing of 

movement to assist or facilitate 

patients from a lying and from a 

sitting position 

Assist a patient to move up and 

down the bed 

Dismantle and reconstruct a 

wheelchair for transportation 

Assist in teaching patients to transfer 

safely in and out of a wheelchair 

using appropriate aids 

Demonstrate your ability to teach 

patients to safely manoeuvre their 

wheelchair 

Identify change in the patient’s 

condition that requires reassessment 

Support worker (name) 

Support worker’s signature 

Physiotherapist (name) 

Physiotherapist’s signature 

Date 




15.9 Transfers reflection 

Suggested KSF Dimensions: C2, C3, HWB2, HBW7 

This form should be placed in the appropriate section of your portfolio. 

What did you learn from this module? 

How has this influenced your work? 

Date module completed 

Date module completed 


Greater Glasgow 

and Clyde 

Tayside

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